I was sitting here minding my own business when I heard “Nella Stanza 26″ on tv…I had to go and watch. YAY!! SO HAPPY!! I can’t wait to see it live!

That’s right! I found the Sma supermarket and am as happy as Larry! I’m even gonna go back tomorrow to have another look!!

It has taken me most of the morning to read a few advertisements in Italian and two articles out of the metro…but I’m trying! Besides, it was raining and I couldn’t leave the apartment for fear of being soaking wet all day! Now the rain has stopped and I am gonna have a shower and go exploring!

The thing I’m finding most difficult about learning in Italy is the fact that everything is so expensive so I don’t have a chance to go and eat in restaurants and practise my Italian. If I was learning Spanish in Mexico it would be no problem! And I’ve got to stay away from the popular tourist spots coz people seem to know enough English to sell stuff. Maybe I should stop telling people I only speak a little Italian…apparently people assume that I come from some Asian speaking country anyway… Then again, the other night I was asked if I was Argentinean. And Aizhan first mistook me for being Spanish so there you go! It must be my Samoa/Mexico tan

Oggi sono andata a scuola e sono imparata l’italiano. I esercizi ero molto difficile. Adesso mia testa è dolorosa. Ahi!

And now I’m watching the sky crack with lightning outside while I listen to Talladega Nights in Italian, again (it’s the only movie I have in Italian…noi siamo la pizza!) and listen to cheering coming from the stadium which isn’t very far away. What a Friday night!

Okay so I picked up a copy of “metro” today to see if I could read anything. I found a cartoon in there and could understand most of it. I had to look up a few words but it was still fun being able to read it. Of course it’s about a cat that wants to run for president so it amused me!

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Class today was okay. I did better in the grammar than conversation class today. I kept getting caught out when the teacher spoke to me directly…crazy! And for some reason whenever we’ve read out homework answers the one I read out the answer to is the only one I get wrong! Argh!!

This whole learning a language though sure has opened my eyes to how I will teach (if I teach) in the future! Less is more. Try not to use filler words that just confuse the students. Have pictures of everything on hand (a little extreme). Use the board a LOT. These are all things I know but now having experienced it first hand I will be sure to put it into practice!

Now it’s the weekend and I’ve decided to discover other parts of Milano. I’m gonna take the train and get off on a few unknown stops to see what is outside the station. Probably just residential area etc but you never know! I’ll probably see more interesting things if I get off on the stops in town though…

All this ranting and raving about the boiling hot weather…I was just woken up (at 6:47am) by a huge rumble of thunder! I looked out my window and it was pouring down!!! It’s eased up a bit now but I’m not sure how it’s gonna be when I have to go to school! Fingers-crossed I don’t get drenched just walking to the bus stop!!

It’s funny…parents always say that when you spend your own money it means more, you appreciate the value of a dollar. How true is that?! I don’t know whether it’s coz I want to learn or whether I know I only have one month to learn or whether I know exactly how much each minute is costing me but I am trying WAY harder in this course than I have in any other course EVER! I never worked this hard in high school or uni or even in my TEFL course! I can’t wait to get home so I can do my homework…no, really! I stay up til midnight finishing homework and revising the day and typing my notes up so I can read them at a later date. What is going on here?

I don’t know whether the classes are getting easier or I’m getting smarter (probably the first one) but everything made sense today. Except of course when someone asks me a question directly then my hearing turns off and my brain turns to mush and I can’t possibly answer the question. Weird considering how much I like talking!!

Now it’s off to Duomo with Aizhan to eat and buy books and look at stuff I guess. Yes, one day I will stop being so blasé about being in Milano and be grateful for the experience…just not today :tongue:

Sidebar: I’m not trying to be wank-y by using the correct names for Italian places it’s just that if I use any other names for the cities and places no one understands. For example, did anyone know that in Italian they don’t call it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? It’s just the Tower of Pisa! Thank you Enrico for that piece of info!!

Ya know…the game with the ball against Liverpool? That one! And I saw it on tv in Milano…a woohoo!!

If you want to learn how to swear in Italian just watch a soccer/football game with a bunch of Italians Although I didn’t hear anything I haven’t heard before!